Customer Reviews

It's in the Eyes

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You know that you've hit the literary jackpot when you find a novel that combines several of your interests into one great story. For example, someone who enjoys reading about both sports and romance may be intrigued by a book that features the long-distance relationship between a football star and his girlfriend. Or, perhaps you prefer a book with a science-fiction focus that also includes military confrontations. For me, I found a great synthesis of setting and plot in the new release It's in the Eyes by Dr. Charles Toftoy. This thriller is set in my hometown of Washington, D.C. and features academia, action, and suspense. Knowing this information gave me high expectations before I even read the first page, and I was not disappointed.

It's in the Eyes grabs the readers immediately by placing us at a crime scene that is central to the entire plot and whose victim returns posthumously throughout the book to motivate the self-proclaimed detectives to solve her murder. Readers quickly learn that there is a series of murders of young women who attend universities in the Washington, D.C. area. These crimes have created uneasiness among the population and a sense of urgency in the Arlington Police Department. Lars Neilsen, a college professor with very personal reasons for wanting to catch the predator responsible for these gruesome deaths, assembles his "Alpha Team" of experts to piece together clues and hopefully end the violence.

One of Dr. Toftoy's greatest strengths in his writing is his ability to select language that creates a sense of tension in the readers. While the murderer remains anonymous for most of the novel, we are let into his mind periodically as the story unfolds. His narcissism and lack of emotion for any of the pain he has caused is quite disturbing. As he ponders the fate of his next victim, you want to find the woman yourself and warn her before it is too late. The author maintains this sense of discomfort by revealing just a little more about the criminal and his motivations with every chapter. With such a well-developed mystery, I often found myself nervous as I turned the page because the next event was either so shocking or revealing. And, I will simply say that I did not see the ending coming at all. It's in the Eyes is a suspense novel from beginning to end.

For those who have not been to Washington, D.C., Dr. Toftoy does a wonderful job of illustrating everyday life in that world capital. By providing details like the traffic reporter of the local news station, favorite eateries, and the feel of the diverse neighborhoods, you really get a sense of the environment in which the characters live. And, the decision to include what Lars Neilsen and the other members of his Alpha Team prefer to eat at the local Silver Diner or drink at the Capitol City Brewing Company drives home the idea that these are ordinary private citizens with whom all of us can relate. It just so happens that they are choosing to put themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

The author of It's in the Eyes, Dr. Charles Toftoy, brings a wealth of academic and business experience to his writing. I hope that he finds the opportunity to put this great background into another novel soon. It's in the Eyes is a complex thriller that combines history, action, strong character development, believable dialogue, and a plot that will keep you guessing. If you enjoy curling up with a compelling mystery, this is most certainly a book for you.

Chuck Toftoy has written an exciting novel that gets your attention early and holds it ! He captures the fragrance of Washington,DC - a particularly intriguing spy town- and flavors the read as only one who has lived there can do. His accurate representation of names and places make the book all the more complete and the story all the more captivating. If this is his first fiction book, Toftoy needs to keep on pumping them out. Read and enjoy a Washington insider's take on international terrorism !

Living in the vicinity of Washington, DC I am especially intersted in books that use the area as a setting, as this one does. This book is set in DC and Arlington, VA, and Toftoy obviously has researched the sites carefully, lending an air of authenticity to the story, and helping it come alive in the reader's mind. For example, the lead character lives in a real apartment building, in fact one I used to live in myself when I first moved to this area. Some of the action takes place in a real diner in Arlington. In other words, unlike many books set in DC, the places he describes actually exist, so that the characters move through the real world of the Capital area.

Another interesting aspect of the book is the way the chapters alternate between first-person accounts by the hero and the villain. This device allows us to see the story from both viewpoints, setting up a tension that becomes nearly unbearable as we move toward the climactic moment.

On top of this, the book is filled with interesting asides, such the discussion of the Thuggees of India, bandits from whom the English word thug is derived. These asides show Toftoy's breadth of knowledge and ability to bring it to bear on his story, enlivening the work and providing some interesting insights along the way.

Altogether, a good read and a likely candidate for a sequel.

From the begining to the end it got my attention and made me feel like a part of the story. I am thrilled that alot of events in the story take place in Arlington VA and Washington DC which is the area I live. Highly recomended!

Murder, murder everywhere seems to ring in the ears of all those in the Washington D.C. area. Terror floods the streets and parents warn their daughters to beware. Fear is rampart! Just what is happening? Young women are found dead, raped, and their spirits are crying out for justice.
Will their killer be caught? There is group, "The Alpha Team," a group of experts that come together to solve hard cases and bring to justice the guilty. A group that works along side the police, but not part of them, bringing much needed help. But will it be enough?

This story has some weird characters in it, and for this story that is a good thing. The story really gets interesting as you learn that the murders are similar to killings from centuries ago by Thuggees, those who worshipped the black goddess, Kali. The authors description of the interaction between the killer and Kali is sure to curl your hair. Creepy. However, you also learn that not all murders can be lumped up and blamed on one killer, no there is more underfoot than meets the eye. The plot thickens.

I enjoyed this read, I liked the way the author brings the local into clarity and portrays the victims as real people with families and lives that were stolen from them. Also bringing into play the creepy worship of darkness never hurts a good murder mystery, and the author definitely brought 'creepy' into play with the worship of this Queen of Darkness and her faithful follower. Yuck! Gave me the chills and definitely is part of the read I will remember for a while! Our author also did a good job with the characters of the Alpha Team, the description and personality of each one was well defined and their job within the group easy to follow. That helped a lot in understanding how they were proceeding in cracking the case.

All in all a very good read, full of all the elements needed with characters that blended well in each part they played in the saga, allowing the story to flow smoothly and bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Very well done, great mystery read, even though it was tad creepy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting book - a real thriller! The characters were well developed and interesting, and the plot was colorful and enthralling. It seems to me this could be the beginning of a series.

I am probably not your average reader. I devour a book in its entirety. My mother had a saying that she used often when I was growing up, `you should never judge a book by its cover.' It is an English phrase referring to judging people by their appearance rather than the person inside. As a reviewer though, I disagree with my mothers definition, I do indeed believe that you can tell a great deal about a book by its cover. Oh, not literally the cover art, but the information outside of the actual text. I have to admit that when I read the dedication page, I was chilled:

In memory of Nicole, one of my undergraduate students, who was raped and murdered in her apartment near George Washington University, and to all young women who have been victims of brutal crimes. Somehow, may they rest in peace.

As a result of that dedication I was a little worried about the story that was going to follow, was this a premonition of a dark and moody story, one guaranteed to depress?

Not so at all! Charles Toftoy has created an incredible novel that is a real page turner. Four young women have lost their lives in what appears to be the work of a serial killer. The police seemed stalled in their progress, the Modus Operandi is always the same, strangulation by a yellow scarf and rape.

One set of grieving parents unhappy with the progress call in Lars Neilsen and his skilled and diversified Alpha Team of investigators. Although It's In The Eyes is a work of fiction Charles Toftoy actually hits a nerve with the idea of a private investigative team. I know several Investigators in real life, they are not the gumshoes portrayed in most books, they are clinical and analytical thinkers, they also can often go where the police can not. Indeed Lars, who is a college professor, and the rest of the Alpha Team are all critical thinkers. Little get by them.

It does not take them long to recognize the significance of the Yellow scarf, a trademark of a 17th and 18th century vicious group of killers in India, the Thuggees. These killers are reported to be responsible for the death of up to two million people in India over a two century period. These followers of the goddess Kali killed as a form of reverence.

Lars and the team quickly determine that there are more than one killer, one of the murders looks as if the same MO was used, but there are subtle differences. A hit job that has gone wrong?

With Washington DC in a state of panic, it is a race against time. Can the killers be found before they strike again?

Charles Toftoy has created a very fine novel in It's In The Eyes. It is an action thriller, that grabs you from page one and does not let go until you hit the back cover. It is not dark and gloomy, it is a ripping yarn. The characters are larger than life, and sometimes outrageous, it is perfect escapism. The author though, does hit on some truisms, not least of which is the role of the press in assisting an investigation. We are often `unofficially' fed a tid bit to rattle a cage. That is something that I have first hand knowledge of. Also the use of Profilers, I happen to know one, she has an uncanny ability to extract a physical and mental picture of the perpetrator of the crime.

All in all, I give this book a very high mark, an action thriller well worth the effort of seeking out.

Simon Barrett - Blogger News Network

Writing fiction is different than writing an academic textbook. The author writes the way people talk. Using the fiction-thriller genre was a way to bring out key life's lessons. The reader learns a lot without being lectured to.It's done via dialog. The main characters are so real and different from each other that they grow on you. A top student in the author's business class was raped and murdered in her apartment, a few blocks away from the University. This inspired the author to write the novel: dedicated to her and to justice.

's in the Eyes. Author Chalres Toftoy takes his readers into the heart and soul of Lars Neilson a college professor and part time sleuth and his trained alpha team. They are on the trail of a serial killer who kills college students. The one victim has touched Lars in a dark place. The day he saw her lifeless body he looked into her eyes - Now they haunt him. He hears her telling him to "Find Them".

Charles Toftoy not only tells a good mystery story, he includes the flaws and human traits of his characters. Mr Toftoy is one indie author to pay attention to.

His book is a five star read.

Very different then the books I read. I love thriller films and It's in the Eyes would make for an interesting film. It's fast pace with action and true to life characters. I would go to see this as a movie in the theatre.
Really like the Washington DC and Arlington, Va. settings. It seems like you were there on the scene both in everyday life and what action was going on.
Would like to see a follow up book as these characters have more stories in them to share and tell.